SeraHeavy footsteps pounded in the hallway outside my room. Turning from the window, I barely had a chance to catch my breath or process what was happening, what I was seeing, before Jim was thrown into my room.Jim landed hard on his knees before toppling onto his side, and I registered several things at once. Bruises. Blood splatter. And Killian, standing in the doorway, knuckles bleeding, a smile curling his wicked lips.I screamed.“Shut up, Sera,” Killian growled, teeth bared.I immediately snapped my mouth shut as the tone of his voice licked up and down my spine. He was furious. I’d never seen a look like the one he gave me now. Pure death flashed behind those haunting gray-blue eyes.Jim groaned, cursing under his breath as he brought his swollen, cracked fingers to the top of his head. Blood seeped through his hair, turning the silky golden curls to crimson.“What did you do to him?” I hurried across the room and fell to my knees in front of Jim. But he moved away from me, h

KillianPining over a woman’s attention didn’t fit my persona. I’d also never felt like my knees were going to give out, or that I’d gladly rip the world in half if it meant making a woman happy.Bracing myself against the wall of the hallway outside Sera’s bedroom, I forced myself to take a breath and ignore her sobs. Her pain and fear ate away at my resolve when I finally broke free of whatever trance she’d put me in and wove through the hallways until I reached the stairs leading down to the foyer.How many people had I kept up here over the years? Dozens, probably. The carpet in each room was stained with their tears and blood. Delaney remained locked up here as well, but the thought of her crumpled on the floor with her face pressed to the carpet as she screamed did nothing in comparison to the image of Sera in the same position.I placed two fingers over my lips where she’d brushed that featherlight and damning kiss. It took all of my strength not to pin her to the wall and tast

KillianNo one would assume anything about tonight was abnormal. My men moved between the crates stacked nearly to the ceiling while others mingled in small groups, the air thick with cigarette smoke.I moved toward the open bay of the main warehouse. It sat on a property I owned across the city from my house. Not too close, not too far. Alonzo had been right. Giuseppe’s revenge for his father’s death at my hands would happen tonight, right here, any minute now.I imagined his guys were already waiting somewhere in the tree line surrounding the trio of warehouses. I glanced up at the twinkling starlight and ripple of golden haze drifting up from Philadelphia in the distance before turning my back to the garage bay and walking toward the back of the warehouse, where Tommaso, Francesco, and Mikey were waiting.“Tonight might be the night for you, Mikey,” I said with little warmth as I checked my watch. “Get one of these fuckers alone and gut them, and I’ll make you a caporegime.”Mikey

SeraA young man named Mikey was tasked with escorting me back to my room. I trembled as we walked through the darkened house and my adrenaline crashed. It was still pitch black outside. I hadn’t bothered to find a clock during the last thirty minutes or so. Everything had been a blur. A blur of noise, a blur of activity. A blur of hot blood and frantic energy.Mikey wordlessly led me to my room but didn’t step inside. I went to the ensuite bathroom and closed myself in, choking on a sob as I turned and saw my reflection in the mirror. I was covered in Tommaso’s blood. If he died, it would be partially my fault. Even with the doctor here now, I’d been the one to stop the bleeding by picking out pieces of metal from his chest and sewing him back together. What if I’d made a mistake? What if I missed something?What if Killian never forgave me?I showered, forcing myself not to look at the crimson streaks curling around my feet as I scrubbed my skin until it burned.I stepped out of the

KillianAnother glass of whiskey hadn’t washed the taste or feel of Sera’s lips from my own. A third glass hadn’t done much to ease the dull ache in my chest whenever my mind drifted from her to Tommaso and our ill-fated night.Ill-fated in so many ways. Sure, Giuseppe had been sent what I hoped he’d consider a valuable message. Fuck with me and get fucked. But it had cost me, too.Tommaso had almost paid the ultimate price. We’d already lost one of our men, his body now being prepared for burial. I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought of the funeral that would take place within the next week. He’d been young, as young as Mikey and just as green with a gun.His mother would be cared for, for the rest of her life, I’d make sure of it. But her heart would be forever broken.I sucked in a breath and stood, stumbling a bit until I found my footing. I left my office and walked through the dark house, lingering for a moment in front of Tommaso’s room.Instead of continuing to my own